Does it Help to 'Own Your Emotions'? Reactions to Expressions of Self- Versus Other-Attributed Positive and Negative Emotions

28 Pages Posted: 9 Oct 2004

See all articles by Amy Bippus

Amy Bippus

California State University, Long Beach

Stacy L. Young

California State University, Long Beach

Abstract

A staple of piece of advice proffered by conflict consultants and practitioners is to "own one's emotions"; that is, to use I messages rather than You messages to express negative emotions. This investigation tested the notion that people react more positively when speakers "own" their emotions. In Study 1, hypothetical self-attributed (I) emotion messages to express emotions about respondents' behavior were compared to other-attributed (You) messages, with an I-You message added in Study 2. In both studies, we assessed the effect of both positive and negative emotion statements on perceived politeness, effectiveness, and emotional reactions, and perceived threat in Study 2. We found no differences in reactions to the message forms for negative emotions, but both studies provided evidence for differences in respondents' reaction for positive emotional expressions. These results suggest a self-serving bias; recipients do not distinguish between ways of phrasing negative emotions expressed to them, but apparently appreciate being given credit for speakers' positive emotions.

Keywords: Communication, Emotions, Empirical Research

JEL Classification: D74

Suggested Citation

Bippus, Amy and Young, Stacy L., Does it Help to 'Own Your Emotions'? Reactions to Expressions of Self- Versus Other-Attributed Positive and Negative Emotions. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=601983 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.601983

Amy Bippus (Contact Author)

California State University, Long Beach ( email )

1250 Bellflower Blvd
Long Beach, CA 90064
United States

Stacy L. Young

California State University, Long Beach ( email )

1250 Bellflower Blvd
Long Beach, CA 90064
United States

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